


Betrayal

by HopeStoryteller



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: F/M, Karliah-centric, do I need to tag a character if he's already dead at the first sentence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:13:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21775006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeStoryteller/pseuds/HopeStoryteller
Summary: Three Nightingales met that day. One killed another, and the third barely escaped with her life.
Relationships: Gallus Desidenius/Karliah
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15
Collections: Holiday TES Fanfic Fest!





	Betrayal

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [dark_brohood](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dark_brohood/pseuds/dark_brohood) in the [Holiday_TES_Fanfic_Fest](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Holiday_TES_Fanfic_Fest) collection. 



The story was never meant to be about her. Not that anyone _would_ write a story about a group of thieves, except maybe Gallus. And there’s the cruel irony in the situation, because Gallus will never do anything again.

His eyes are still open, but they’re glassy and lifeless. He’s not breathing. Karliah would like to fool herself into thinking that he’s just hurt, that he’ll be fine and he’ll get up any second now. But he won’t. Nothing about this is fine. Nothing about this will ever be fine again.

Mercer sheathes his sword, not even bothering to clean off the blood of his best friend. He doesn’t look at her, but Karliah knows better than to assume he’s forgotten about her. Unless something changes, and fast, she’s next. But she can’t move.

The dagger pinning her shoulder to the rock, staining her armor a deep crimson, doesn’t exactly help things. Even now, there’s still a dull, painful throbbing that she knows far too well will intensify the instant she tries to move, or breathes too deeply. And there’s only a matter of time until she passes out from bloodloss. Little things like that.

The important thing is, she’s still alive. Gallus… is not. And he’d want her to stay alive, most of all. She wonders if he ever considered that she wanted him to stay alive, too.

“If you try to move,” Mercer says, still not looking at her, “you’ll bleed to death faster. Don’t worry—you’ll be reunited soon.”

Karliah doesn’t answer. He finally looks at her, and she answers with naught but a furious glare.

Mercer meets it with… nothing. There’s no pain in his eyes, no regret, no remorse. Nothing.

“Gallus trusted you,” she hisses through clenched teeth.

“He did,” Mercer agrees. “Foolish.”

“Gallus was _no fool.”_

Mercer looks to Gallus’ body, then back at Karliah.

“Really.” His lips curl. “Then how come I’m alive, and he’s—“

_“SHUT UP!”_

Pain explodes again in her shoulder, and she jerks back against the rock wall. It doesn’t help. She shouldn’t have gone for the bait—she’s going to die, she should at least not give someone she’d once called a friend the satisfaction of seeing her squirm.

Except that Mercer’s already laughing, so there goes that plan.

“If you’ll excuse me,” he says lightly, “I have a body to dispose of. If you’re lucky, you might last until I come back for you.”

She isn't there when he returns. Neither is his dagger.


End file.
